Blade Runner reimagines the future and seamlessly marries film noir and science fiction. In the film, humanoid robots have become self-aware and decide that it is unjust for their short, four-year lifespans to be calculated by those that created them and have to find a way to override their self-destructing programming. In Blade Runner, a small group of humanoids, referred to as replicants, escape from their off-world and flee to Los Angeles hoping to find a way to escape their fate. However, since humans have determined that it is illegal for replicants to be on Earth, Rick Deckard, an experience blade runner, is contracted to assist the Los Angeles Police Department to exterminate the replicant threat. In the "Chinatown" scene, the audience is able to see how science fiction and film noir come together in terms of cinematography and mise-en-scene, and are given better insight into Deckard as an individual.
Blade Runner incorporates many elements of film noir into a futuristic world. Stylistically, Blade Runner is able to combine film noir elements with science fiction through the use of retrofuturism, which can be defined as the future seen from the past or the past seen from the future ("Retrofuturism"). In this case, both definitions can be applied to the film as it continuously references the past through its film noir elements and because it attempts to provide insight on how the world will be in 2019, approximately 37 years into the future from when the film was first released. Retrofuturism is used in the film's costuming, scenery, and technology such as the flying cars called spinners. Traditionally, film noir draws much of its influence from German Expressionism and its use of chiaroscuro, which create harsh contrasts, and its mise-en-scene, which includes costuming, dialogue, and characters. Despite the fact that the film is shot in color, as opposed to the German Expressionist black and white. In the film, chiaroscuro can be seen through the abrasive contrasts created between the dark and light, which includes the incorporation of the futuristic neon lighting that permeates the city. Because this "Chinatown" scene takes place at night, chiaroscuro effect is reversed. Whereas light is used to create harsh shadows and contrasts in traditional film noir, the overreaching darkness of night highlights the neon lighting and forces the lights to stand out from the rest of the scenery. The overabundance of pulsating lights also creates an atmosphere of overindulgence, a concept that continues throughout the film. These amounts of lights used emphasize the overreliance humans have on technology. Furthermore, because there is no natural light in this scene, it makes it appear as though there is a clear disconnect between technology and nature, a recurring theme in Blade Runner. The overall unnatural lighting of the scene emphasizes the unnatural state of being in the film. There is a clear unbalance between technology and nature, yet the film is dependent on having Deckard finding a balance between the two.
Blade Runner also references film noir through its characters and costuming. In Blade Runner, Rick Deckard fulfills the role of the traditional hard-boiled detective or private investigator. As Deckard's job as a blade runner had been eliminated, he was forced into retirement, however, is brought back into active duty when four replicants begin to terrorize Los Angeles. Deckard embraces the role of hard-boiled detective through his character, including his dialogue with the Asian chef and his costuming. In this scene, Deckard is shown wearing a London Fog type trench coat under which he is wearing a suit, which reminiscent of the costuming often found in 1940s films noir. Additionally, Gaff, who is escorting Deckard to see Captain Bryant, is also seen wearing costuming similar...
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